Typically when you think of the Holy Spirit saving your life, most people apply it in the context of salvation and coming to God for the first time. It’s not typical to think of it in the literal sense. The Holy Spirit LITERALLY saved my life and in the most clutch fashion. Let’s go back to 2009 when I first got saved.

2009 was a much more simple time when my only concerns were not getting suspended from school, memorizing that one part of the human video I always forgot and trying to be as cool as possible. Lame, I know. Back to the story. During this time you would find me at an Xstream retreat at Masterpiece Gardens, where I heard the Holy Spirit’s call for the first time. It was odd that God would manifest His Voice through thoughts that were clearly not my own. A soft subtle voice. It was not something I was too sure about. But I listened for it anyway.

Fast forward several years later, I graduated high school and allowed myself to fall away from the church and be enveloped by work, by the things of this world and my emotions. Depression is a heck of a beast but that’s a story for another day. Within that time of falling away from God I got into riding dirtbikes and ATVs and eventually took it to the streets. A not-so-admired discipline people call “Bikelife”, where we ride wheelies on public roads. Part of the fun (for me atleast) was working on your own bike when things needed maintenance or upgrades. I had just gotten a fancy new light bar headlight and was unsatisfied with how it sat so I decided to make an adjustment. Being the diligent man that I was, I decided not to fasten and torque the bolts that held the light bar (and the HANDLEBAR!) to its proper torque specifications out of laziness and fear of snapping one of the bolts. I finished up the adjustment, washed my hands, swung a leg over the bike and took it for a test ride. After doing a few wheelies, everything felt great and secure.  Fast forward to the next day. It was a sunny Thursday afternoon. The sun was beginning to set. Not quite low enough to be selfie hr but low enough that the sky was getting ready to change colors. I was at a friend’s motorcycle shop off of Colonial and Old Cheney Road waiting for him to close up the shop so we can go for a nice Thursday night cruise around town to grab some wings and soda pop. While I was waiting, I decided to drive on to a backroad to practice some slow wheelies. I wasn’t wearing a helmet. After a few wheelies I randomly heard the softest, most subtle voice ( like the one I heard for the first time in 2009) tell me to put my helmet on.

I rode back to my friends shop and grabbed my helmet from off of the ground and put it on. After securing the helmet strap, I pulled away and popped a wheelie. Everything was going fine. Just like every other wheelie before had.  I was approaching a curve in the road, so I decided to drop the front wheel when suddenly the handlebars folded over, opening the throttle really wide. I did everything in my power to hold on and grab every control on the motorcycle that I could, but they were just too far out of reach. I knew I was running out of road and had to do something fast. Before I knew it, I was lying on the side of the road, collar bone broken, flesh ripped off of my back, with a headache that left me in an agonizing pain so great that my first thought was to pray and make sure I was good with Jesus. I wasn’t sure at the time my eyes would ever open again if I had closed them. SPOILER. I lived. 

I should have been dead. But here I was taking selfies in an ambulance. A freshly re-saved / recommitted Christian on his way to the hospital with some cool wounds; and an even greater story of how God spoke to me in a time when I was was deep in sin. I wasn’t praying, I hadn’t been to church in almost 4 years, I didn’t deserve to be alive. Had it not been for the Holy Spirit, I’d be in hell leaving behind a mourning mother and sister. 

Here’s what I learned from all of this. 
1. Gods grace and mercy extends far beyond what we deserve. 
He grabbed my attention moments before what WAS going to be death. Even after years of intentional disregard and dismissing Him and His people. 

2. When God speaks He does so to protect us, to help us and to guide us. 

In conclusion, Listen for God’s voice. It’s sweet, GENTLE , driven by His perfect, infinite love and delivers nothing but good. 🙂

1 Kings 19:11-12

 Luis Monascal